The Legend of the Mad Hatter
by inspiredesire
Summary: The Red Queen has yet again taken over Wonderland, brutally executing the innocent and taking full advantage of her reign. A mysterious, handsome young jester arrives in Wonderland seeking work at the palace. Will he be brave enough to step forward and break her destructive path? But who is he really, and why has he chosen Wonderland as the place to be?


**This is my first. I hope you enjoy this short story my lovelies and would dearly appreciate any feedback :)**

**Happy reading, Belle.**

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Everyone was afraid of the Red Queen. Her wicked glare and terrifying voice would be enough to send shivers down even a ferocious beast's spine. The way she pursed her small, rose red lips tightly whenever someone did something that agitated her was like a warning signal that secretly told you the unfortunate news; that person had taken one step too far and they were soon to be spiralling down a mountainous cascade of trouble, but there was one thing that was worse, much worse than all of those other petty little quirks she had put together. It was a terrible situation you did not want to put yourself in. This sentence she gave would paralyse you, make your heart skip a beat and freeze time, so that all you heard were those words repeating in your head to the loud thumping of your heart. Those words were something not anyone in their right mind would want to hear, a sudden alarm ringing in your ear…

"Off with their heads!" the Red Queen shouted as she sat in her great big throne, eyes like glistening diamonds while they angrily stared down at the two helpless little creatures in tears in front of her with their hands tied tightly behind their backs.

"Please your highness! We promise we didn't do anything!" cried the first little squirrel between sobs. "We would never dream of even attempting to break into your castle, not to mention steal one of your precious jewels! We weren't even near the palace!"

The Red Queen moved slowly forward in her throne, squeezing her ruby covered hands into fists by her sides.

"Are you denying your guilt? Are you saying that you were not at all involved in this conspiracy, thereby claiming I, your fine queen, am wrong?" the Red Queen asked quietly, slightly raising her eyebrows.

"N-n-no your majesty, we just-"

The queen slammed her fists with great force on the arm rests of her seat and stood up so fast it seemed almost impossible.

"I will not listen to this rubbish for a moment longer! Guards, take them away!" she screamed, pointing them towards the double doors at the far end of the palace.

The Red Queen did things like this very often. Only the week before, she beheaded a badger because it was claimed that he had made a mockery of her giant head. So, you see, it did not matter whether these poor little squirrels had really stolen from her or not, she just found pleasure in the torment of helpless animals and people, because after all, she was called the Red Queen for a reason.

"No! Please let us go! We promise nothing like that will ever happen again! We'll do anything!"

"Wait," said the queen sharply. She signalled for the guards to bring the squirrels close towards her. "If I let you live, what will you give me in return? It better be good."

The squirrels thought long and hard, whispering things amongst each other.

"I'm waiting," the Red Queen said loudly with both arms folded across her chest.

Suddenly the quieter squirrel spoke up.

"Your highness, we have a proposition you may find rather interesting."

"Go on," rushed the queen.

"William Winter is a fine jester, guaranteed to be the finest jester in all of Wonderland. If we-"

"You have obviously failed to realise that I already have a perfectly fine jester, one which I feel absolutely no need to replace," the Red Queen snapped. "Where is he?" she asked the closest guard.

"Your majesty, I believe you had him beheaded little more than two weeks ago," the guard answered.

"Oh, right. Yes. Silly boy, he was. Well then, continue," the queen said as she quickly turned her attention back to the squirrels.

"As I was saying," the second squirrel continued, "The Mad Hatter informed us a few days earlier that William is searching for a place to work at the moment. If we locate him and bring him to your palace to work for you, will we be granted freedom?"

The queen tilted her great big head for a moment and thought about it, tapping her fingernail on her front tooth in an irritating manner. Then she looked back down at the squirrels and said, "You have ten days to bring him here. If you fail to accomplish that task or if his humour isn't up to my expectations, you will all be beheaded."

With that, she let them go.

_10 days later…_

The sun was setting as he walked in, bells lightly jingling where his hat came to its points.

"Good evening, your highness," William Winter said as he bowed gracefully.

The queen was shocked at this sudden display of grace and pleasantries coming from someone she expected to be quite the opposite, yet she held her fierce gaze as her eyes swept up and down upon him. He was tall and lean, with a youthful bright face and deep moss green eyes. His hair was shoulder length, peering out from underneath his hat in dark locks. He looked up at her and waited for her to speak.

"So you are the famous Will Winter," she said, forcibly adding a slightly unimpressed undertone to mask her true feelings about him.

"Yes, your highness."

"And you intend on working for me, the great queen of Wonderland?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I thought it would be a good opportunity. If you are willing to give me a chance, that is," said Will nervously.

"Why haven't I ever seen you here before?" asked the queen suspiciously.

This question stumped William. "Erm, well, your highness, I actually was out for quite a while looking for a job elsewhere because I was lead to believe that you already had your own jester and had no need for me."

She stared at him with a disbelieving expression for a while. There was something about his face, his eyes perhaps, which seemed familiar. Then she shrugged and slumped backwards into her throne.

"Well, you'll have to do for now."

William let out a deep breath.

"But I warn you, Will Winter, if you fail to impress me, you and your little friends will all be heading straight for the guillotine!" the Red Queen said.

The unpleasant sneer that followed that statement would have been enough to make the fiercest of warriors run screaming out of the palace, but William held his steady gaze as if nothing had happened.

For months, William entertained the queen with jokes and songs and dangerous acts, actually making her laugh at times, and for months, William watched as innocent people and animals were sent to their deaths for crimes they did not commit.

Seeing so many people bullied and degraded, so many citizens brutally murdered by order of the queen and so many families grieving over these terrible deaths was horrifying. He just couldn't take it any longer!

The night of the annual Wonderland Palace Party had arrived, which meant all the citizens of Wonderland were required to attend wearing their finest garments and had to bring a gift for the queen. The humans and animals mingled, chatting while music played in the background. The Red Queen sat at her throne staring at the mountain of presents next to her in satisfaction. She couldn't wait any longer, so she clapped her hands and the music suddenly stopped.

"Silence! I want to open up my gifts now. I have been waiting long enough!" she exclaimed.

"But your honour, it's only been five min-"

"Excuse me? Who was that?!" screeched the queen.

The guests parted, forming a circle around a lone man.

"Off with his head!" the queen called and the guards quickly moved towards him.

Suddenly the doors burst open and in walked the jester.

"Excuse me, your highness, but wouldn't it be more reasonable if you opened all your wonderful gifts, first? This man really wouldn't be worth the wait. After all, I have worked very hard on my gift for you," he said with a charming smile.

"Well, when you put it like that… Guards, keep this man with you, I'll finish with him later!" called the queen. "Now, jester, bring this gift of yours up to me and I'll open it first."

As he walked up towards the throne the queen noticed he was holding nothing but a small scroll in his right hand. She frowned. _"How pathetic,"_ she thought. _"That won't be very useful to me at all."_

"This is a poem I wrote especially for you, dear queen," said William with a smirk on his face.

"You ridicule the lack of property of the poor,

Although they can afford no more.

You constantly mock the sick and diseased,

But they can't be healed as you ignore all their pleas.

You lie and lie, send the innocent to die,

Watching and laughing as their loves ones all cry.

Quite frankly, I think that we all hope you fall

Down from your reign, because you aren't a good queen at all."

The audience was shocked and the guards were having a difficult time containing their laughter. No one said a word, until…

"Off with his HEAD!" screamed the queen as loudly as ever.

The guards, still giggling, made their way towards William.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," smiled William. He began chanting a sentence in a strange language and then clicked his fingers. All of a sudden, his face started twisting and morphing into gruesome shapes, turning into different people until his face landed on one person. It was no other than the Mad Hatter.

The guards quickly scrambled to the nearest wall and some guests fainted. The Red Queen stared at him with wild wide eyes and suddenly jumped to her feet, stomping down the stairs towards him until they were face to face.

"You have made jokes about me, humiliated me in front of my people and now this?" she breathed.

"Who do you think you are?!"

"Oh, I assure you I really am the Mad Hatter, milady," said the hatter confidently.

"You can't do this to me! I will have you killed! Oh, forget that, I'll kill you myself!" the queen screeched with all her power.

"Well, call me crazy, but for once, I think you've met your match!"

And with that, the Mad Hatter whispered something in a foreign language and spread the fingers of his empty hand apart, forming a dark spinning hole in the floor right behind the Red Queen that seemed to go on forever.

"Oh, and by the way love, I never really was a hatter," he whispered and pushed her into the hole, throwing the scroll in with her. The audience gasped. When her screaming completely faded, the hole closed up.

The room was silent. Suddenly, as if everyone had just come back to life, the guests and the guards all cheered and clapped, throwing their hats into the air. The hatter took a bow and when the noise had ended, a young girl asked "Where has she gone?"

"Oh, that evil woman has gone to not a very nice place, dearie. I'm afraid she won't ever be coming back."

"Then who will be our next ruler?" another person asked.

A guard then spoke up. "The Mad Hatter would make a wonderful king!"

There was a huge wave of agreement through all the people.

The hatter shook his head. "I have a better idea," he said. "I have asked my dear friend the White Queen if she would like this position and she happily agreed. She has been out of work for quite a while now after that terrible day the Red Queen defeated her kingdom a few years ago. In fact, she is on her way right now."

There was a slight pause and then everyone hooted and applauded.

"Let us continue this party and not let a beautiful gathering go to waste," called the hatter.

It became a glorious night of dancing, laugher and happiness.

Soon the White queen arrived. The music stopped and everyone stared in awe at her beauty and grace as she entered. They all bowed down to the ground for her.

"People of Wonderland," she said. "I promise you that if you choose for me to be your queen I will be good to you and treat you fairly. I assure you that I will be nothing like my sister was."

There was complete silence, then the audience cheered and cheered. The party then continued. It was a very memorable night for the people of Wonderland.

Soon enough, the White Queen became queen of Wonderland and peace and happiness was restored after seven tragic years of torment by the Red Queen. The Red Queen was no longer and the Mad Hatter, well, the Mad Hatter was happy just being himself and working for the new queen.

"So, when do you think Alice will come to visit again?" the queen asked the hatter.

He paused for a while and thought.

"I couldn't know for sure, but I have a feeling it will be soon."


End file.
